Top 3 dismissals by AB de Villiers in ODIs
South African batter AB de Villiers is one of the most gifted batters to ever play the game of cricket. Nicknamed Mr. 360 for his ability to hit anywhere across the ground, de Villiers was also an excellent fielder.
De Villiers also made a little name for himself in the bowling department during the 2015 ICC ODI World Cup. He scalped five wickets in the tournament. Overall, he has picked up seven wickets in his one-day career.
Let's take a look at three of his best dismissals.
#3) Tom Latham, New Zealand vs South Africa, Mount Maunganui, October 24, 2014
New Zealand won the toss and put South Africa into bat first. The visitors scored a handsome 282 as Hashim Amla starred with the bat, scoring a brilliant 119 in 135 deliveries. New Zealand began shakily with the bat, losing two quick wickets.
Tom Latham and Dean Brownie rebuilt the Kiwi innings and were beginning to look threatening when captain de Villiers decided to bring himself into the attack. He rolled his arms over for a quick few overs just to disrupt the rhythm of the Kiwi batters.
The trick worked perfectly as Latham tried to attack de Villiers. Instead, the Kiwi batter holed out to Hashim Amla at short fine leg after mistiming a delivery. The Proteas went on to win the game by a mammoth 72 runs.
#2) Younis Khan, South Africa vs Pakistan, ICC Cricket World Cup, Auckland, March 7, 2015
South Africa took on Pakistan in a must-win match in the 2015 ICC ODI World Cup Down Under. South Africa opted to field first as Pakistan, courtesy of veteran batters Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, were beginning to dominate proceedings.
De Villiers once again opted to bring himself into the attack and the trick worked perfectly for the Proteas. He maintained good line and length throughout his little spell, which ended with the prized wicket of Younis Khan.
De Villiers' short delivery was mistimed by Khan as Rilee Rossouw completed the catch at Rilee Rossouw. Pakistan ended their innings at 222. It proved 20 runs too much for the Proteas despite a noteworthy effort from de Villiers with the bat.
#1) Aaron Finch, Australia vs New Zealand, Canberra, November 19, 2014
With the Australia-South Africa series tied at 1-1, the Aussies opted to bat first. Cruising at 242/2, the hosts were running away with the game. South African bowlers were at their wits end in their attempt to dismiss the Aussie stars.
Aaron Finch had already reached his hundred by then and was looking to dominate proceedings in the death overs. De Villiers tried his luck with the ball. His delivery pitched on the off-stump line and spun all the way to between middle and leg stump, catching Finch unaware.
The Aussie batter, in his attempt to slog it over mid-on, completely missed the ball as it went on to break the stumps. It was a small moment of joy for the Proteas, who eventually lost the game by 73 runs.